Poofed
by SSXLoverKaoriBrodiMac
Summary: Steven poofed, and the gems don't know what's going to happen. That is until Steven's gone for good...and Rose is back.
1. Chapter 1: Rose

Things were pretty chill in Beach City for the time being. The gems were fighting corrupted gems, and Lapis & Peridot were learning to get along better each day. Steven and Connie were trying to deal with their feelings for each other the only way they seemed to know how, spending more time with each other or just being Stevonnie.

Stevonnie loved running down the shoreline barefoot, or buggin Lars at the Big Donut. Their favorite thing to do? Racing. After everything that happened with Kevin, Stevonnie realized that they still wanted to experience that same thrill, time and time again.

* * *

One night, Stevonnie and Amethyst decided to race together. Garnet, Pearl, and Greg didn't think it was a good idea, but the two didn't listen. Heading up the mountain, the two got ready to race back down. Little did they know, that trouble was upon them.

Amethyst was winning, as Stevonnie laughed, just having the time of their lives. Nature had a different plan though, that Stevonnie didn't see coming. Soon enough, erosion kicked in, and rocks and tree branches started tumbling down, and Amethyst slowed down to a stop, avoiding hitting everything.

Stevonnie kept their eyes on Amethyst, wondering why she had stopped. They looked back at the road and didn't know what to do. In the blink of an eye, they unfused, and Steven covered Connie, as they accepted their fate. Connie watched as Steven was impaled by glass and pieces of the car, crushing him...then Connie watched him poof.

* * *

"Eh...my head." Connie opened her eyes, to find her parents towering over her.

"Oh Connie!" They embraced her, as Connie winced in pain.

"Ow ow! What-what happened?"

Mr. and Dr. Maheswaran backed up, and had a seat by their daughter. "Connie, you're in the hospital," Connie's mother said. "Greg said that he was driving you too in a rental car and it hit a tree."

"You have a concussion, but that's about all. You're very lucky." Her dad chimed in.

"Where's Steven?" Connie sat up, ignoring her throbbing headache.

Connie's parents looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Connie… Let's just say he...what did those gems say, Doug?"

"Poofed."

"Yes, that's right. Steven's not here my darling. He poofed."

Of course Connie's parents thought the worst… Connie did too, but for different reasons.

* * *

The gems didn't know what to think when Steven poofed in the accident. Steven was the only one of his kind, so who knew what was going to happen? Greg was distraught, and the gems were worried too. Nobody knew what to do. Connie stopped coming to the house, but Pearl often found her sitting at the beach, with Lion by her side.

Garnet didn't tend to go in her room anymore, she was constantly unfusing, as Ruby and Sapphire became too unstable to stay together. The two would sit up on the hill and hold each other, trying to figure out how to best solve this seemingly unsolvable problem.

Amethyst stayed with Greg, trying to coax him into watching Li'l Butler to keep his mind off of things. She was sad too, Steven was her buddy. Spending time with Greg helped a little though, plus it gave her something to do as well to keep her mind off things.

Pearl took her feelings out by sword fighting in the Temple constantly. She felt like it was over again, and she didn't know what to do. She loved Steven, she finally had understood that he was different than Rose, and she'd grown to love who Steven had grown up to be. Now he was gone.

One morning, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Greg were having a "Together Breakfast" to help keep Steven's memory alive while he was gone. Steven's gem was carefully placed on the coffee table, placed upon a Cookie Cat pillow, the gems checked on it often in hopes that Steven would come back.

In the midst of putting the strawberry on top of the waffle tower, stacked high, a pink glow filled the room. The four watched in awe, as the gem regenerated, but who stood before them now was different, and everyone was in one spoke for a moment, you could've heard a pin drop.

"Greg?"

"Rose?!"


	2. Chapter 2: Steven

"Greg, Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst…" Rose stood in the living room in confusion. "Where's Nora...or Steven? Where are we? We do you all look different? Greg, what happened to your hair?"

Nobody knew what to say, it was so much for everyone.

Greg crossed him arms and looked around for a moment. "Um, Rose? What's the last thing you remember?"

"I felt this warm sensation, and that's when I knew our little human was coming… Why? Is something wrong?"

"It seems as though Steven's human body couldn't handle the wreck, so the only part that survived was him gem. Meaning Greg's part is gone, so Rose was all that was left." Pearl thought out loud.

"Steven? Wreck? Gone? Pearl, what are you talking about?"

Garnet took a step closer to Rose, removing her visor as she did so. "You had a child, Steven. You left, so he could take your gem. Steven lived his life with us and Greg, for 14 years. We built this home around the warp pad for Steven, and Greg lived in his van." Garnet held Rose's hand. "Steven got into an accident with his friend and he poofed because he hurt himself saving her. We didn't know what would happen since he's half-human, but it seems as though the gem regenerated back to you."

"Oh my. So Steven was here?"

Greg looked at Rose, with some tears in his eyes. "Yes Rose, he was here." He went over to the kitchen counter, grabbing Steven's baby book/photo album. "Steven Quartz Universe," he said, flipping through the pages of the book. "That's our little man."

The group gathered around, as they all went through pictures of Steven, reminiscing about him. "He looks so happy, was he happy Greg?"

"Well most of the time, he sure loved being a gem," He looked over at Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. "He was so excited to live with the gems and fight."

"Remember when Steven's gem first summoned his shield? That was wonderful." Pearl's eyes lit up in excitement all over again.

"Yeah, and it bounced all over the house!" Amethyst got so pumped over that memory.

"He tried his best to use his powers once he was able to summon his weapon. I'm very proud of him," Garnet wiped a few tears from her eyes, thinking of Steven.

"Wow, Steven was such a big part of your lives." Rose started tearing up too, thinking of the son she never met. "I wish I could've met him."

"Without Steven, I'd still be a roadie, trying to make it big. Sure, I didn't know how to be a dad...I still don't. But he was my Shtoo-ball, and he made me so happy." Greg missed Steven terribly. He was a part of him, and life wouldn't be the same without him.

"Steven...he knew about... _most_ things that happened during the Rebellion. He tried so hard to fix what you left behind." Pearl thought about how much Steven took on all the time. It worried her that he was doing the wrong thing. But Steven was right, it didn't matter what Rose would've wanted, what mattered is what Steven wanted.

Rose's eyes grew wide. "He didn't have to do that, did you try to stop him, Pearl?"

"I tried, we all did. But it didn't matter what we wanted or what you would've wanted, it was his choice. Steven told us about Bismuth, he knew that you shattered Pink Diamond… He still loved you, he wanted so badly to have known you like we all got to."

"I know, I wanted to meet him too...but we couldn't both exist."


	3. Chapter 3: Garnet

Rose decided it'd be easier to talk to each gem & person one by one. She wanted to hear their stories, and let them know how much they meant to her. Garnet was first in this lineup.

"So I assume you've become the new leader of the Crystal Gems? I thought it was Pearl at first, but then I had this feeling it was you. I could tell it'd be you someday, you're always looking out for the best in everybody."

"I wouldn't say I'm the leader, we all make a good team. Pearl & Amethyst just sometimes can't seem to get along unless they think I'm going to kill them." Garnet and Rose laughed and that.

"Thank you for taking care of them all, especially Steven."

"Steven...was amazing. He grew into his own over the past couple years, that's for sure. I just felt so bad because he wanted to protect everyone, just like me. It's even hard to do for us after all of this time, let alone a fourteen year-old boy. He fused with a human you know? His best friend, Connie. He's also fused with Amethyst before."

Rose's eyes grew wide. "Really? Greg and I could never do that. I'm glad Steven's love for this… Connie, was able to spread far beyond organic matter and into fusion… Speaking of fusion, I'm sorry about the way we first met, we really got off on the wrong foot."

"It was perfect. Without you, there wouldn't be a me."

"I think I love Steven the way you love...well, you."

"We all do Rose."


	4. Chapter 4: Sadie and Lars

"Did Steven have any friends? Things he liked to do?" Rose asked Greg when they were sitting at the beach together.

"I mean, he did go to the Big Donut a lot. I could have Amethyst take you there, she went with him more than I did. The two kids that work there were close with Steven."

"Like, how close?"

"Rose, it's just an expression," Greg giggled. He forgot that gems didn't really know a lot of human expressions that they use. "They were all friends."

"Oh," she replied wide-eyed. "Well then, I must meet them."

* * *

"Here we are," Amethyst said, "The Big Donut. If you need anything, I'll wait out here."

"Okay, what are their names again?"

"Sadie and Lars, now go!" Amethyst kinda shoved Rose through the door, knowing she was nervous.

The bell rang above the door, as Rose ducked her head in through the door, walking into the Big Donut.

Sadie stood at the counter. "Wow, um, hi. Are you one of Steven's friends?"

"No...well, I'm his mother."

"Oh, uh, Lars? Can you come here for a second?"

Lars walked in from the back and stared at Rose, then look at Sadie. "Who's this?"

"She says she's Steven's mom, uh,"

"Rose. My name is Rose."

"Right right, Lars, this is Rose, and I'm Sadie."

Lars looked at Rose, then his eyes caught sight of her gem and he jumped. "The bellybutton! She has Steven's magic bellybutton!"

Rose was startled and then she laughed. "No, it's my gem. It was Steven's too."

Sadie rested her arms on the counter. "Well where's Steven now?"

Rose looked sad, then looked down at her gem. "Steven's… he's gone. So now my form has taken his place. I wanted to meet the people who were in my son's life while I was away."

Sadie teared up, while Lars didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry that you're sad. I'm sad too. I never got to meet Steven. From what I here though, he was happy and those around him were happy. Is that true?"

"Steven always wanted the best for people, sometimes he went a little overboard, like at Beach-A-Palooza, but he was so sweet." Sadie wiped the tears falling down her cheeks.

"With Steven...everything was real." Lars stared at the floor. "I always wanting to keep him out, I didn't want feelings and life… I wanted it to be dark and not real. But with him, he made it real and in your face. I always secretly loved that about him." Lars was tearing up, but then realized what he had just said and snapped out of it. "I mean, he was alright."

"Lars was it? Lars, it's okay to feel things. It's more than okay. Love in all forms is such a beautiful thing. I'm glad he made you feel." Rose put a hand to Lars chest, then pulled him into a hug. She then stretched an arm out to Sadie, who joined in on the group hug. "I'm so glad Steven had friends like you. He seemed to have taught you a lot, and I'm sure his life was greatly impacted by you both as well.


	5. Chapter 5: Lapis and Peridot

Instead of leading Rose back to the temple, Amethyst had a better idea. The two gems went to the barn so Rose could meet Peridot and Lapis.

"Where are we going Amethyst? I don't think that temple is this way." Though it had been fourteen years, Rose was pretty certain she knew how to get back home from Beach City.

"Just relax, we're almost there," Amethyst was excited about how this was going to go. Peridot and Lapis were going to meet Steven's mom!

They shortly approached the barn, and Rose's eyes grew wide. "What is this? I didn't think humans made stuff like this… How did they get that four-wheeled object up there?" Rose pointed to the truck wedged into the wall of the barn.

"Who is that? Lapis, will you peer over and check?" Amethyst heard Peridot ask Lapis, while the truck titled back and forth from the weight distribution changing. She was too short to be seen from the truck, but it was definitely the 'clod-hating' gem nonetheless.

Lapis flew above the truck, but when she made eye contact with Rose, they both gasped. "Peridot...it's Rose Quartz."

"Yeah right, how would she ever-" Peridot was cut off, as Lapis picked her up and the two flew down to where Amethyst and Rose were standing. Peridot gasped and gulped a bit.

Amethyst smiled, still thinking this was a good idea. "You guys, it's Rose Quartz! This is Steven's mom!"

"Where is Steven then?" Peridot squeaked. She was excited to meet Rose, but she also knew that Rose probably thought that she was still working for Yellow Diamond.

"Steven… Steven poofed. Stevonnie got into an accident while racing… me," As happy as she was to see Rose again, Amethyst still felt guilty that this was all her fault. "Connie's going to be okay, but Steven poofed. So since Steven's physical form was damaged, Rose is back."

"Amethyst, why would you bring me to gems who work under diamond authority? Are you trying to get me shattered?" Rose was clearly upset, but she was trying not to show it. "After all of the hard work I put into keeping us safe and my son was friends with traitors?"

" _We're_ traitors? Bismuth poofed me, which led to me being put into a mirror for thousands of years. Your Crystal Gems _knew_ I was in there and did _nothing_. I was caught in the crossfire, I was trying to escape." Lapis turned to walk away, but stopped, her back still facing Rose. "You're not a hero, but Steven was. He saved me from the mirror. He saved me from Jasper. Steven's the reason that I have the chance I've always wanted to start over."

"I'm… I'm sorry Lapis. I didn't realize that I hurt you like that. I didn't realize that what I was doing was also hurting gems that had nothing to do with this."

"Apologize to Peridot, I've made my peace with this, I just need some time to think about everything." With that, Lapis walked back into the barn.

Peridot was now sitting on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. "I'm… I'm not a traitor. Not anymore. Steven showed me unconditional love, something I'm sure he learned from you. The way everyone talked about you… I hated it at first. How could you be so nice after all that you had done? But then after living here on Earth… I learned about the beauty of it, I learned how to be myself. Steven helped me poof a gem and bubble it, the Crystal Gems were there when I yelled at Yellow Diamond… I just wanted a home again."

"I didn't realize-"

"But now Steven's gone, he was my home and now he's gone… I guess in your eyes, that makes me the 'clod' now."

"Clod?"

"It's something Peri says to people or things that she doesn't like…," Amethyst realized she was kind of ruining the moment. "I'm going to leave you two alone."

Amethyst went inside to check on Lapis, and Rose kneeled down next to Peridot. "Peridot, I didn't realize how much Steven meant to you. I've been gone for fourteen years, so forgive me if I don't seem to know much of anything anymore. I'm sorry for making judgements about you. I'm glad Steven could show you compassion… he seems to better at it than me, if he shows love and compassion even for those who _seem_ like the enemy."

"He even felt bad for Blue Diamond…" Peridot finally looked up at Rose, tears still flowed down her cheeks.

"He met _Blue Diamond_?"

"Sure did. Greg got captured by her when she was mourning Pink Diamond and then Steven had to save him from the human zoo. It was a really big mission, so Lapis, myself, Connie, and Pumpkin stayed behind as the Crystal Temps."

"What's a Pumpkin?"

"Not _what_ , _who_. Pumpkin!" Peridot yelled, which startled Rose. The little pumpkin ran towards Peridot, smiling. "There you are! This is Pumpkin, Steven helped make him for Lapis and I."

Pumpkin saw Rose and froze, but then saw her gem glow, so he thought it was Steven. He ran over to her and started barking until Rose touched him. She began to pet him and giggled when he tickled her hand with his leaf. "Peridot, he is so fun! What else can Steven do?"

"Not much," Amethyst emerged with Lapis. "He's got some superhuman strengths and isn't affected by certain gem weapons. He can make a bubble for himself and others around him, as well as summon his shield. Instead of your healing tears, he's got healing saliva… and that's about it." Amethyst looked over at Lapis. "Was there something you wanted to say?"

"If Steven doesn't ever come back, I'm willing to get to know you. But I don't necessarily forgive you just yet."

"That's okay, little steps, right Amethyst?"

"It's 'baby steps', but yeah, close enough."

Peridot looked down at Pumpkin and frowned. "We're sure going to miss Steven though."

Lapis sat down next to her and put an arm around the green gem. "Me too."


	6. Chapter 6: Amethyst

As Rose and Amethyst began their walk back home, Rose spoke. "You haven't really told me how you feel, Amethyst…"

Amethyst was caught off guard by this, she was just trying to help Rose adjust, that she didn't even realize all of the feelings she was holding in. She brushed her hair out of her face and over her shoulder. "Yeah, I guess I really haven't." She began kicking a rock down the sidewalk to distract herself. "There's just so much I want to say that I don't know where to start."

Rose stopped and turned to face Amethyst. "Just let your heart guide you in what you want to say. I'm here to listen." Rose put a hand on Amethyst's gem, and Amethyst felt Rose's love fill herself too. She smiled at Rose and took a deep breathe.

"You were the first person to accept me for who I am. I was a forgotten defect in that Kindergarten, but you didn't see what I wasn't, you saw who I was. When you left, I was confused and I was hurt. I was losing the one person who understood, accepted, and loved me for who I was. I started hanging out with Greg more at first to try and feel closer to you, then we just became friends. I was kind of mean to him though sometimes and I feel really bad about that, I should've been there for him since you couldn't do that."

"Sometimes we get mad at other people and then wish we hadn't. Greg & I weren't always perfect, so it's okay if things aren't always perfect for you either."

"Yeah, I know. But I still hurt him, and Steven was there…" Amethyst could almost feel the pain and anger she felt that night in the storage unit as she transformed into Rose. She felt awful that Steven witnessed that too. "... Steven's become one of my best friends, Rose. He and I were always buds. Garnet and Pearl, they just don't get it sometimes because they don't understand Earth and human stuff, but I do! Steven and I eat together, we wrestle together, we even fused to make Smoky Quartz, and they're awesome!" Amethyst threw her hands in the air in excitement and then her smile faded as she remembered that Steven was gone. "I just can't believe he's gone."

"I'm glad that Steven could accept you for who you are and be there for you when I couldn't. I see how much you've grown, Amethyst, and it makes me so happy and proud to know that you were able to carry on without me." Amethyst opened her mouth to rebuttal that last statement, but Rose continued before she could. "I know at times it was challenging and your temper may have have gotten the best of you, but you owned up to it and moved forward. I apologize if some of my choices were hard to understand and that I seem to have hurt you in the process, thank you for being honest with me about how you felt."

Amethyst spread her arms wide, as Rose picked her up and the two hugged. A tear fell down Amethyst's face, hitting Rose's shoulder. "I'm glad you're back, but I miss Steven."

"I know."

Rose put Amethyst back down and the purple gem wiped the tears from her eyes. "Okay, I can only handle 'feelings' for so long, so let's head back home." Amethyst giggled as the sunset behind the two of them on their descent back to the Temple.


	7. Chapter 7: Connie and Lion

It was the next day, and the gems spent most of the morning in their rooms in the Temple. In the afternoon though, they all emerged around the same time, and Greg came over so they could discuss where to go from here.

"I could always stay up in Steven's room for a bit to help out, but I don't want to intrude." Greg said while making himself a sandwich with whatever was left in the fridge from before the accident. "You probably don't even need me around anymore, you guys can just all get back to fighting 'gem crime' and stuff."

"Oh Greg, but I want you here." Rose was shocked that he thought she wouldn't want him around.

"It wouldn't be so bad, would it?" This time fourteen years ago, Pearl would've never said that. Even though things were weird now with Rose being back, Pearl & Greg had figured things out prior to everything. So it was nice to know that even to some extent, Greg felt welcomed by the 'warrior' gem.

"Where is he? Where's Steven?" Connie barged through the door, Rose's sword on her back.

"My sword, you have it." Was all Rose could say. She didn't know who this girl was or why she had her sword.

Connie's phone fell out of her hand and onto the floor, as she stood in disbelief. Lion walked through the door and his eyes grew wide. He ran over to Rose, who bent down and hugged him tight. "My lion, you are safe."

Connie was beginning to connect the dots. She looked at the painting above her, then back at the mysterious gem. "Wait, are you-?"

"Connie, this is Rose. Rose, meet Connie. Steven's best friend." Pearl was holding back tears. As exciting as this was, Pearl also had to explain that Steven wasn't coming back. "Steven's gem...the rose quartz...well, Rose came back instead of Steven."

"No, no that can't be. How can he just poof like that? He's a human, he can't do that!"

"We didn't know what Steven could or couldn't do. He's the first of his kind." Garnet calmly spoke. As hard as it was for the gems to welcome Rose back, Connie had only ever known Steven. That was Sapphire's rational at least; Ruby thought it was harder for the gems because they had known Rose for thousands of years before Steven had come along, but agree to disagree.

"You were Steven's best friend? I thought the people from the donut shop were?"

"Rose, humans sometimes...rank their friends. Like a gem hierarchy, but for friendships," Amethyst was trying to explain this in the most simplest terms. "Connie and Steven 'ranked' each other at the top."

"How-how did this happen? _When_ did this happen? Is he going to come back?" Connie's eyes filled with tears, as Lion made his way over to her. She cried into his mane, and Rose wrapped her arms around the small girl.

"Some things happen that are out of our control. What I do know is that you seem to care a lot about Steven, and so do I. Let's focus on that." Rose guided Connie outside and they sat together on the beach while Rose rubbed Connie's back to calm her down. Connie closed her eyes for a moment and began to sing, softly and slowly.

" _Here comes a thought that might alarm me_

 _What someone said and how it harmed me_

 _Something I did that failed to be charming_

 _Things that I said are suddenly swarming_

 _And, oh, I'm losing sight, I'm losing touch_

 _All these little things seem to matter so much_

 _That they confuse me_

 _That I might lose me_

 _Take a moment, remind yourself_

 _To take a moment and find yourself_

 _Take a moment and ask yourself_

 _If this is how we fall apart_

 _But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not_

 _It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay_

 _I've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear_

 _I'm here, I'm here, I'm here."_

"That was a beautiful song, my dear." Rose spoke softly, giving Connie a chance to gather her thoughts.

Connie took a deep breath. "Steven changed me. He gave me a reason to have fun, he was my first friend. He gave me the experience of being with him side by side in combat, and together dancing as one as Stevonnie. They're the reason he's gone, _I'm_ the reason he's gone."

"Steven wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this. You two seem to have had amazing experiences together, and you must keep those close to your heart. Just because Steven's gone doesn't mean the magic is. Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst welcomed you in for life, not just for Steven. You need to look after them, and they'll look after you too."

"Steven really wanted to meet you. He talked about you all the time."  
"I'm glad I got to meet his best friend today, you are something special, my Connie."

* * *

Later that night, after Connie had fallen asleep on the couch, Rose sat with Lion under the stars.

"Thank you for looking after him this whole time, and Connie too." Lion nuzzled Rose when he heard her say that. "I needed to make sure he stayed safe, that _I_ stayed safe."

Lion looked up at Rose and roared at the sky. "I know Lion, I need to tell them all, but not just yet. I'm not ready…"


	8. Chapter 8: Pearl

Pearl made her way outside when she saw Rose sitting with Lion. Rose felt Pearl's presence and sighed. "I know what I did was wrong… I know you and Greg shouldn't have been pitted against each other like that."

"Rose I-"

"No, it's okay. I want to talk about this. I don't know what Steven did, but I can tell he fixed things and I'm glad he did. I just worry that now that he's not here…"

"Oh Rose, Greg and I will be okay." Pearl had a seat next to her partner in crime.

"Do you wish Steven were here? Instead of… instead of me?"

"I don't know. I want to say yes, because of how much he's changed all of us. I mean, he's helped all of us grow beyond just gems trying to helped those corrupted during the war. But without everything you did… without _you_ … Steven wouldn't have been here to begin with."

"I think I understand. I know that I caused a lot of trouble, and I didn't want him to have to be a part of it all."

"He wanted to though. He begged to go on missions, he grew from the mistakes he made and from the secrets he uncovered." Pearl started to tear up at the thought at never seeing Steven again. Though it was nice to see Rose again and talk to her, everyone had moved on in the best ways possible. They had moved on from Rose to Steven. It was like connecting with Steven all over again, except instead of missing Rose, they were missing Steven. "I just wish he were here… it's over, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure, but what I do know is that things are different now and I want to make it right."

"That's going to take a lot to fix everything you-" Pearl stopped dead in her tracks, hands covering her mouth.

"Pearl, I'm sorry I did this to you." Rose put her hands on Pearl's. "I can feel him, Pearl. I can feel that he's coming back, and when he does, you can tell him… But _only_ then."

"Okay… Let's get some rest then before that happens, because it will change everything."


	9. Chapter 9: Greg

The next morning, Rose went to Steven's room to find Greg, although he wasn't there. After roaming around Beach City, taking in the sunrise over the town she has left many years ago, she heard music coming from the Car Wash. Turning the corner, Rose found Greg playing his guitar in the van, with the doors wide open.

"That was a beautiful song." Rose said as she approached Greg.

Greg jumped a little and then blushed. "Awe, thanks… Sorry I didn't stay at the Temple last night. I just felt more comfortable being at home."

"Home… I still feel like I don't know what that's like. Did Steven feel like he was home?"

"Of course he did, Rose. He loved kicking it with his old man, but after he moved in with the gems, he really found himself." A tear fell from his eye, "I miss the little schtu-ball,"

Rose gave Greg a hug and they sat together, watching the sunrise over Beach City.

"Greg, there are things I never told you, things I wasn't ready to share… and I'm sorry for leaving you with all of these unanswered secrets."

"I mean, I understand, sort of. You didn't want to share your past with me. Because I loved… _love_ you for who you are now and that's enough. Plus, the gem war seemed intense, I can understand why that's some heavy baggage to throw into a new relationship." The two giggled, locked eye, and kissed. It was the first time they had been intimate since before Steven was born.

* * *

"Greg, I'm not going to be back forever." Rose broke the silence while they were laying on top of Greg's van. "He's coming back, I can feel it."

"You mean? Steven's okay?"

"I think so," Rose looked down at her gem, "He just needed a little more time to heal."

"But you just came back. This is all too much."

"Greg, it's going to be okay. I need you to do something though before I go. Take care of him,"

"You know I will, Rose. He's a part of me, and he's a part of you too."

"And Pearl, stay good to her, and Garnet & Amethyst."

"I'll try my best. I'll do it for you."

"There's something else I need to tell you. Let's go for a walk...


	10. Chapter 10: Rose Quartz

Greg and Rose walked through of the door of the Temple laughing with each other, when they found the gems consoling Connie more. Connie was having a hard time dealing with Steven's absence, and Pearl thought it was best not to get her hopes up about him coming back just yet. So to help Connie cope, the gems were singing some karaoke in the living room, with a together breakfast on the coffee table. Even Lapis & Peridot were there with Pumpkin, and Lion was sleeping upstairs.

"Hey guys," Greg said cheerfully as they walked inside. "What's going on?"

Pearl was holding the microphone and ran over to Greg, and he chimed in too

" _Palling around don't cost nothing_

 _Singing a song don't cost nothing_

 _How do I spend all this money?_

 _I'd rather just spend time with you"_

Rose's face lit up. "This looks like so much fun! Can I try?"

Pearl passed the mic over to Rose, and everyone sat around, while Rose took a seat on the floor.

" _If I could begin to be_

 _Half of what you think of me_

 _I could do about anything_

 _I could even learn how to love_

 _When I see the way you act_

 _Wondering when I'm coming back_

 _I could do about anything_

 _I could even learn how to love_

 _Like you_

 _I always thought I might be bad_

 _Now I'm sure that it's true_

' _cause I think you're so good_

 _And I'm nothing like you_

 _Look at you go_

 _I just adore you_

 _I wish that I knew_

 _What makes you think I'm so special_

 _If I could begin to do_

 _Something that does right by you_

 _I would do about anything_

 _I would even learn how to love_

 _When I see the way you look_

 _Shaken by how long it took_

 _I could do about anything_

 _I could even learn how to love like you_

 _Like you"_

Rose's gem began to glow, but she continued singing, knowing her time was coming again.

" _Now they'll be the Crystal Gems_

 _They'll always save the day_

 _And if you think they can't_

 _They'll always find a way_

 _That's why the people of this world will believe in_

 _Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl..._

 _And Steven._

 _If I could have stayed to be_

 _Half of what you thought of me_

 _Could have done about anything_

 _But I think I learned how to love_

 _Like you_ "*

With that, the entire Temple was overtaken by Rose's pink light, and then things went quiet.

* * *

 _*Author's note: Credits to Adriana Figueroa for the Rose's Farewell lyrics_


	11. Epilogue: Pink Steven

When Rose's light faded away, everyone looked to see none-other than Steven laying on the floor. He was asleep, and nobody knew what to do, so they stayed where they were, frozen in the moment.

Steven began to stir, and then he slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Uh, guys? What's going on?" He opened his eyes and everyone gasped.

Connie spoke first. "Steven, something's wrong with your eyes."

Steven slowly got up and went to the bathroom, still confused as to what was going on. When he looked in the mirror, he screamed when he realized what everyone else had seen.

Pink Diamond eyes looking back at him.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading Poofed! This was technically all I had for this story, seeing as I wrote it before Rose Quartz's identity was revealed (but I ended up tying that in at the end, as you can tell), and I had just always wondered what would happen if Steven poofed (which again, after seeing Diamond Days, we all kind of know what would actually happen). Let me know if you'd like a Part Two, and what you'd like to see in that! Again, thanks for reading!_


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